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WILKES-BARRE — Last year, 4,642 drug-related deaths were reported in Pennsylvania — 140 of those in Luzerne County.
To combat the problem, Geisinger is taking action on the front lines with the opening of two outpatient addiction clinics — the second to open Sept. 18 in Wilkes-Barre. The first clinic debuted earlier this year at Geisinger-Bloomsburg Hospital.
A Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) addiction clinic will open at Geisinger South Wilkes-Barre on Monday, according to a news release. The clinic will be funded in partnership with Geisinger Health Plan, and a third clinic is slated to open in central Pennsylvania later this year.
The outpatient clinics are devoted solely to medication-assisted treatment, or MAT, which combines medication and behavioral health therapy to treat addiction.
The nation’s opioid abuse epidemic is impacting lives in small towns and big cities alike, resulting in 91 overdose deaths daily, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Last year, 13 of those deaths occurred in Pennsylvania each day — a 37 percent increase from 2015.
HHS Secretary to visit Pa.
Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, M.D., will continue his listening tour to learn from those on the front lines battling the epidemic. Price will be in Pennsylvania on Friday with Kellyanne Conway, Counselor to the President, to visit the Mirmont Treatment Center in the suburbs of Philadelphia.
According to a news release announcing the visit, Secretary Price understands “it is state and local policymakers, advocates, first responders, law enforcement officers, treatment centers, and many more who have responded to help their communities in the areas of response and recovery in this time of great need.”
Secretary Price and Conway will participate in an employee town hall to learn how the federal government can best support local initiatives and hear what is working and what is not.
On Thursday, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) awarded $5,340,828 to 32 health centers in Pennsylvania to increase access to substance abuse and mental health services.
“No corner of our country, from rural areas to urban centers, has escaped the scourge of the opioid crisis,” Price said in announcing the funding.
Nationwide, HRSA awarded more than $200 million to 1,178 health centers.
More on Geisinger clinic
Margaret Jarvis, M.D., the medical director at the primarily inpatient Geisinger Marworth Treatment Center in Waverly, has taken the lead on the development of the system-wide outpatient addiction program.
“The prescription opioid and heroin crisis is the most significant public health crisis facing our nation today and we need resources at our disposal within our communities to better treat this epidemic,” said Jarvis, who is vice president of the Board of the American Society of Addiction Medicine. “These clinics provide initial outpatient care in regions that have been greatly impacted by this epidemic.”
Patients are referred to the clinics by health care professionals, or identified by known risk factors. They may also refer themselves to the GSWB clinic by calling 570-808-3700. A specialist determines if they are a candidate for the program. If they are, they will move through a regimen of closely monitored prescription therapy. Buprenorphine (Suboxone) or Naltrexone (Vivitrol) are used to help suppress withdrawal symptoms and cravings for opioids.
But, Geisinger says, medication is only the beginning. As a part of treatment, patients are connected to drug and alcohol counseling and behavioral therapies designed to provide the tools for living a productive life while avoiding relapse. A dedicated case management team at the clinic involves community resources and family members in the treatment process as needed, and at the discretion of the patient. Geisinger says this holistic approach facilitates long-term healing.
“This therapy is so much more than taking a medication to reduce cravings in the hopes that it helps the person overcome their addiction,” said Jordan Barbour, who is overseeing operation of the clinics.